Loyal to the struggle of restoring balance within the U.S. government.

Thursday, February 23, 2006

Tampa Bay Politics. Idiotic Liberals

I must firmly come out against my fellow progressives whom are opposing Hilary Clinton so soon in being the next President of the United States, and her visit to Tampa to this week.

I use to share the same views as some of these far leftist. That the principle of supporting a good person like Ralph Nader was honorable. That I would not sacrifice my beliefs in order to support a lesser of to evils in the Democratic candidate. I know have come to the reality that this is simply a dream in American politics. At least until we have a good man or woman in the White House to steer our nation towards positive uncorrupt reforms.

There are many things I like about the Honorable Ms. Hilary Clinton. She is a fighter and we know what she will do if elected. DO NOT confuse her as a flip flopper, and I say this specifically in regards to a radio statement that Clinton changes her positions. This is false, Clinton’s positions are consistent. Do not confuse her with the likes of John Kerry. She has a record and has taking tangible initiative on issues such as Health Care and children’s issues.

I would be more than happy to align myself with Greens and left progressive but the fact is you have no unity, you do not work together, and you have no viable leaders. It all practicality, support Ms. Clinton or get your act together and win elections.

Clinton is someone that can whip the ass of the GOP

St. Pete for Peace is protesting Ms. Clintons visit to Tampa. Even though your group is not putting forth any viable alternative candidates and your group is not putting forth any issue campaigns that can be supported by the public. This is where your energies should be directed, not towards defeating someone that could be your ally. Don’t be idiotic, your pride and principle is worthless if another corrupt Republican is elected.

I simply ask you to not add to corrupt conservatives opposing Clinton, killing your very cause.

1 comment:

As a matter of fact many of our members are or havebeen very active in the local democratic party. Imyself was very active in the local Kucinich forPresident campaign a couple of years ago because Ithought he was the right candidate with the rightideas and an extraordinary message.

It's not that there aren't democrats, voters andpoliticians, who don't want an end to war and a faireconomy. These people exist, many of them, but theirvoices are not heard in the party. It's theleadership of the democratic party that has beenrejecting progressive ideas and embracing corporatemoney. There's no doubt about the control theconservative DLC still exerts over the party'sdirection and will continue to do so in the next fewyears.

Why, in 2004, was war not the main issue? Democratshad a chance to use that issue, with many Americansbecoming alienated with the conflict, to gain supportfrom voters by saying we'll stop the war now. Andthere were some very good anti-war candidates,Mosely-Braun, Sharpton, Dean and Kucinich who had avery solid message. But what happened? The partystarved these candidates of money, attention andsupport and threw their hat into John Kerry's ring whoactually wanted to expand the war in Iraq!

That kind of strategy does not indicate a party towhich peace is a fundamental value.

It's this disconnect between the desire of voters andthe actions of party leadership that has driven manyformer dems like me away from the party. I will notsupport a political party that has to reference itsopposition party's position to know where it stands.

I wish we could have a voice in the democratic party,but the fact is without millions of dollars tocontribute to democratic PAC's our voices and arelives mean nothing. Even the most well-meaningdemocrat who stands for peace will have to change hisor her mind as soon as they get that first big checkfrom Lockheed Martin that totals more than theirannual campaign contributions combined. The partyleadership will not change, power never relinquishespower, and the decent democrats left will findthemselves frustrated by a party system that continuesto be divided, unorganized and appealing only towealthy special interests.

And please don't be fooled into thinking we can changeHillary's mind about anything. She has neverrepresented our community and she will not suddenlytransform into a progressive just because we write hera few letters. She is by nature, a very conservativeperson who sees power and war as a solution to ourproblems. If Mrs. Clinton really wanted our vote thenshe would start speaking our language of peace andeliminating poverty, like Kucinich and Sharpton did,and, as a sitting U.S. senator, actually start votingthat way, too! But the truth is, she thinks she cando without us and does more with her platform andrhetoric to drive progressives away from her campaignthen we do by objecting to her views on war and thePATRIOT ACT.

Like you I am also frustrated with the pace of changeand apparent lack of impact our actions in theprogressive community are having on the politicalstructure at large. But remember, this movement isjust starting to gain traction and it takes decadesfor a grassroots movement to see results from theirwork. Who would have thought thirty years ago that asmall band of religious conservatives passing outfliers at churches Sunday morning would one day runAmerica?

Well, they didn't give up on their efforts, no matterhow futile they seemed, and neither will we. We dotake practical action to make a change in ourcommunity by feeding the hungry, by holding our gov'taccountable, by exposing the ties of our gov't to thecorporations who control them and, most importantly,by speaking to our neighbors. That is all a small,but important step towards real change.

We don't just want a few cosmetic changes in thiscountry either. We want a complete fucking overhaul! Right now in this country 5% of the richest Americansown 90% of the nation's wealth, the federal minimumwage hasn't risen in almost 10 years, we've had 5years of increasing poverty and homelessness and thePentagon gets 11 times as much money as our schoolsget. All the while our nation is controlled by acabal that stole power in 2000 and got to run as theincumbents in 2004.

This is no time to just rearrange the deck chairs, thefucking ship is sinking! This is time for revolution! A revolution that re-establishes the Bill of Rightsas our fundamental founding document. A revolutionthat will establish direct-democracy for all citizens,not just an over-glorified student government bodywith nukes at their hands. A revolution that provideshealth care, education and housing for all, noexcuses, no exceptions. A revolution that makes peacethe central focus of our foreign policy and bringsevery American soldier and sailor back to our shoresand borders to protect our country and our countryonly. A revolution that creates equality on alllevels, racial, sexual, age and economic position. This revolution will either tax the rich till they arerich no more or it will throw them off our shore.

That's just a few examples of what we want, there ismuch else. And if the democratic party startsembracing and espousing these values I will considerlistening to and rejoining them. Until then I won'twaste my time buying a cocktail from the democraticstewardess while the republican pilot is flying theplane into the ground. I hope you'll realize there isa time to change an institution and there is a time tostop beating a dead horse. As far as the democraticparty, and Hillary Clinton, goes I'm putting my whipdown.

I enjoy sharing these thoughts with you and hope youwill continue to reply. If you still support Hillaryand think demonstrating against her is the wrong thingI would recommend coming out to the Wyndam WestshoreHotel on Saturday with others who share your messageof support and to engage us in a conversation aboutwar, politics and how we can change our country forthe better, together.